Soil series profile

Mespun soil series

Mespun is a excessively drained soil with a fine sand surface, mapped on 376,399 acres in 16 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group A.

#842 by mapped area Ustic Torripsamments (Entisols)

Drainage class: Excessively drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 7.4
Mapped area: 376k

Typical Mespun profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Mespun horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–2 in (A)	Fine sand	8.0	3%	96%	0.8%
2–19 in (Bw)	Fine sand	8.4	5%	94%	0.2%
19–38 in (C1)	Fine sand	8.6	4%	95%	0.2%
38–60 in (C2)	Fine sand	8.6	5%	94%	0.2%

Representative values from the most extensive Mespun map unit (Mespun-Councelor-Mespun, limy substratum complex, 0 to 10 percent slopes, survey area AZ711). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Mespun soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Mespun soils is slightly alkaline: pH 7.4 (most land between 7.0 and 8.0). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).

Sandy topsoil covers 97% of mapped Mespun acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is fine sand (74% of mapped Mespun acres).

94% of mapped Mespun acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.

For lawns and yards

98% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 32% of the acres in mapped Mespun soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 67% not limited (2% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).

Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Mespun soil is found

Mapped acres

Mespun is mapped in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.

Counties with the most mapped Mespun soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Coconino County, AZ	206,866	1.8%
Navajo County, AZ	43,747	0.8%
Cibola County, NM	31,728	1.2%
Garfield County, UT	30,573	1.5%
Socorro County, NM	15,245	0.4%
Washington County, UT	10,293	0.9%
Uintah County, UT	8,265	0.4%
San Juan County, UT	7,802	0.2%
Mohave County, AZ	5,020	0.1%
Kane County, UT	3,141	0.1%
Sandoval County, NM	2,936	0.1%
Duchesne County, UT	1,803	0.3%
Rio Arriba County, NM	635	0.0%
Moffat County, CO	556	0.0%
Valencia County, NM	318	0.0%
Rio Blanco County, CO	26	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Mespun acres

Not limited 67%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 32%

Not rated 2%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Mespun acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Mespun acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	66.8%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	31.5%
Not rated	1.8%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Mespun acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 4–9% (median 5%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 0.8%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 88%

Somewhat excessively drained 6%

Well drained 5%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated 1%

Drainage class across mapped Mespun acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Mespun acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	87.5%
Somewhat excessively drained	6.1%
Well drained	5.2%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	1.3%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 98%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated 2%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Mespun acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Mespun acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	98.2%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
C: slow infiltration	0.0%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)	0.0%
A/D: D as is, A if drained	0.0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained	0.0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained	0.0%
Not rated	1.8%

Sources & data dates

Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
Data date: SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
Scope: All map unit components named Mespun (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 376,399 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Mespun components. The profile comes from the single largest Mespun component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Mespun.